@Gemmie I don't know if you'll find this encouraging or discouraging, but today I went into my local Rite Aid and asked for a covid booster, and -- they gave it to me, even though my last one was October 18, which means it was 16 days shy of six months.
I specifically wanted to try to get it before six months in order to compare to your experience.
You mentioned making an appointment -- could it be that the schedulers have some six month rule but the actual pharmacies/pharmacists don't care? I mean, what if you didn't make an appointment but just went in and asked for it?
Thanks,
@Auntie Cipation. Appreciate you doing that experiment! Yes, I made an appointment online, BUT, I don't think that's why I wasn't able to get it 5 days early. If anything, the scheduling tool should have told me "Too early, pick a date after XX/XX". They pulled me up in their computer when checking me in and that's when they realized I was 5 days too early and turned me down. That makes me think that the appt didn't matter as it was once they pulled me up in their computer.
So my questions to you (and them, if you want to further your experiment.
)... Do they track people's vaccines (what and when) in their system? Do they have a rule about vaccine timing?
What's interesting is you didn't just go to any national pharmacy, who might have different rules than Rite Aid, you went to the same pharmacy chain! That makes me wonder if each store has their own set of rules.
For instance (this is kinda the same, kinda not), not all Dr's offices have the same rules on who can get a covid vaccine and when. I can NOT imagine that every single Dr's office across America has a rule that says people (including those over 65) can only get ONE Covid vaccine a year. Yet my Dr's office said they don't allow them every 6 months and don't go by the CDC rules. Say what?!? They only said that when I pulled out my card hoping they'd write down the info on it (like they used to do). At first the nurse said "We don't fill those out anymore", but I had been nice, and making them laugh earlier, so she probably figured "Well, she's a nice lady, I'll fill her card out even though we don't normally do it". That is when she saw it was ~6 months after the last one, and that's when she said "
they don't allow them every 6 months and they don't go by the CDC rules".
So, I brought that up because even through we both went to a Rite Aid... they might have different rules. OR, the person processing you didn't notice. I doubt the computer throws up a blinking red TOO EARLY pop-up. I'm thinking the person would have to do the math. You know, sorta like those signs at liquor stores that say... "
Must Be 21 Years Of Age Born On Or Before Today's Date". That's what I'm thinking happened. Mine noticed, yours did not, cuz it doesn't appear it's their computer throwing the block up after hearing about your experiment.
Thank you for not only doing that, but for getting back to us with your results!!!
).
